1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in changing the degree of pitch in stringed musical instruments, and, more particularly, to devices which may be either adapted to or incorporated in stringed musical instruments for changing the degree of pitch by means of limiting the rotational movement of keys which operate the strings on the stringed musical instrument.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In playing a stringed musical instrument it is desirable to be able to change the pitch of a particular string, making it either higher or lower, while playing the instrument. Thus, if a particular string is plucked, and then the pitch is raised by increasing the tension on the string, a whining or sliding effect is produced. The same effect can be produced when lowering the pitch by decreasing the string tension.
There have been some attempts to produce a device which would accomplish the foregoing results, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,644,360 and 3,000,253. These devices provide a means in addition to the standard tuning peg for altering the tension in a string and thereby changing its pitch. While these devices accomplish the desired result, they are unsightly, unwieldy, and require the addition of a complicated mechanism to the instrument. Even moreso, these devices have not been truly effective in changing the pitch of a string on a particular stringed musical instrument with respect to the change of pitch on another string of the same music instrument.
In addition to the foregoing, there has been proposed a device for changing the pitch of stringed musical instruments in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,909, dated July 4, 1972. This latter patent provides for an assembly used with the tuning key of a stringed musical instrument in order to accomplish the foregoing results in conjunction with a limit stop means. However, this assembly was not particularly effective in being adaptable with musical instruments which have circular tuning key shafts as well as instruments having tuning key shafts which are non-circular in cross section. In addition, the assembly in this latter patent does not necessarily provide for means to rigidly secure the limit stop means to the instrument in order to prevent unauthorized turning of the limit stop means which thereby interferred with proper pitch adjustment of the strings in the stringed musical instrument. Moreover, this latter assembly did not provide means for use with tuning key pegs having a shoulder portion thereon and tuning key pegs which did not have a shoulder portion thereon.